EASTON, Pa. — City environmental officials are preparing to pitch a new ordinance to tamp down on light pollution.
The city Environmental Advisory Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to send City Council a letter stating its intent to work on a dark skies ordinance and urging city officials to consider collaborating, then adopting it when the time comes.
“I feel like the purpose is just, ‘Hey, we’re communicating on this,’” city Sustainability Coordinator Brandon Sullivan said.
“You should know what’s happening internally that will eventually come to you.”
Members plan to give a presentation about the initiative, and its benefits, to city council during its Oct. 22 meeting.
Dark skies in Easton?
As currently written, the letter asks council members to consider adopting a dark skies ordinance, as well as offering ideas on what the ordinance would include, EAC Chairman Nick Gorski said.
The letter also includes a call to collaborate, Vice Chairwoman Stacy Melvin said.
The full text of the letter, while discussed during the meeting, was not disclosed.
For a city to become DarkSky-compliant, there are four core features: an LED requirement, shielded fixtures, temperature range limits and dimmers.
The proposed ordinance may include temperature limits and shield mandates on any new city lighting infrastructure, as well as similar guidelines for new, large construction within city limits, council members said during the meeting.
The vote comes a month after the council held a panel on Pittsburgh’s dark sky ordinance and its project to upgrade streetlights to LEDs.
Pittsburgh will see cost savings from the switch, panelists said, but there also are benefits that aren’t as quantifiable: increased perception of public safety and ecological health, especially for migratory birds.
“There was a lot of interest in the conversation a month ago,” Gorski said. “This continues that conversation. It gets it out.”
Pocket park improvements
Also during the meeting, city Conservation Manager Rob Christopher said one of Easton’s pocket parks is getting new trees, in addition to other improvements.
Trees left over from the city’s giveaway, scheduled for Saturday, could be planted at the park, 1030 Bushkill St., he said. So far, about 60 eligible residents have signed up, and there are 200 trees available.
“I’m doing a display of samples of street trees planted in the park on the right side, with themed plantings underneath the trees,” Christopher said.
“So people will have an idea of what they can plant in their tree well.”
They’re also adding educational stations, he said, including maybe a sundial and a weather station.
In addition, Christopher announced “Creating a Micro-Forest: A Step by Step Guide,” was published this week.
The 24-page guide, available on the city’s website, aims to help other municipalities and landowners create their own version of the microforest Christopher created at a former ball field at Lower Hackett Park.
Work began in 2019 on the microforest, at 1900 Wood Ave., through a $35,000 grant from the Arbor Day Foundation.
